The politics of fiction | Elif Shafak

Translator: Armin Talic Reviewer: Ivana Korom

I'm a storyteller.

Ja sam pripovjedačica.

That's what I do in life -- telling stories,

To je ono što radim u životu -

pripovjedam priče.

writing novels --

pišem novele -

and today I would like to tell you a few stories

i danas bih vam željela ispričati par priča

about the art of storytelling

o umjetnosti pripovjedanja

and also some supernatural creatures

i također o natprirodnim stvorenjima

called the djinni.

zvanim džini.

But before I go there, please allow me to share with you

Ali prije nego dođem do toga,

dopustite mi da podijelim sa vama

glimpses of my personal story.

posebne trenutke iz mog privatnog života.

I will do so with the help of words, of course,

Naravno to ću uraditi pomoću riječi

but also a geometrical shape, the circle,

ali također i geometrijskog oblika - kruga

so throughout my talk,

tako da ćete se kroz moju priču

you will come across several circles.

susresti sa nekoliko krugova.

I was born in Strasbourg, France

Rođena sam u Strasbourgu u Francuskoj

to Turkish parents.

kao dijete turskih roditelja.

Shortly after, my parents got separated,

Nedugo nakon mog rođenja roditelji su mi se razveli,

and I came to Turkey with my mom.

i preselila sam se u Tursku sa majkom.

From then on, I was raised

Od tada sam odgajana

as a single child by a single mother.

kao jedino dijete samohrane majke.

Now in the early 1970s, in Ankara,

U ranim 1970-im, u Ankari,

that was a bit unusual.

to je bilo dosta neuobičajeno.

Our neighborhood was full of large families,

U našem komšiluku je bilo puno velikih porodica,

where fathers were the heads of households,

gdje su očevi biti glave porodice,

so I grew up seeing my mother as a divorcee

tako da sam odrasla gledajući svoju samohranu majku

in a patriarchal environment.

u patrijahalnom okruženju.

In fact, I grew up observing

U stvari, odrasla sam posmatrajući

two different kinds of womanhood.

dva različita svijeta žena.

On the one hand was my mother,

Na jednoj strani je moja majka,

obrazovana, moderna, turska žena zapadnjačkih i sekularnih shvatanja.

a well-educated, secular, modern, westernized, Turkish woman.

On the other hand was my grandmother,

Na drugoj strani je moja nana,

who also took care of me

koja se također brinula o meni,

and was more spiritual, less educated

i koja je bila više spiritualna, a manje obrazovana

and definitely less rational.

i zasigurno manje racionalna.

This was a woman who read coffee grounds to see the future

Ona je bila žena koja je proricala

budućnost iz taloga kafe iz šolje

and melted lead into mysterious shapes

i otapala olovo u mistične oblike

to fend off the evil eye.

da stvori zaštitu od đavoljeg oka.

Many people visited my grandmother,

Puno ljudi je posjećivalo moju nanu.

people with severe acne on their faces

Ljudi sa problemima s aknama na licu,

or warts on their hands.

ili bradavicama na rukama.

Each time, my grandmother would utter some words in Arabic,

Svaki put, moja nana bi promumljala neke riječi na arapskom,

take a red apple and stab it

uzela crvenu jabuku i probola je

sa toliko trnja ruža

with as many rose thorns

as the number of warts she wanted to remove.

koliko bi bradavica željela ukloniti.

Then one by one, she would

Onda bi jedan po jedan

encircle these thorns with dark ink.

trn okružila tamnom tintom.

A week later, the patient would come back

Sedmicu kasnije, bolesnik bi se vratio

for a follow-up examination.

na kontrolu.

Now, I'm aware that I should not be saying such things

Svjesna sam da ne bih trebala reći ove stvari

in front of an audience of scholars and scientists,

pred publikom obrazovanih ljudi i naučnika,

but the truth is, of all the people

ali istina je da su svi ovi ljudi

who visited my grandmother for their skin conditions,

koji bi posjetili moju nanu zbog problema sa kožom

I did not see anyone go back

nisam vidjela nikoga da bi otišao

unhappy or unhealed.

nezadovoljan ili neizlječen.

I asked her how she did this. Was it the power of praying?

Pitala sam je kako to radi. Da li je to moć molitve?

In response she said, "Yes, praying is effective,

Odgovorila bi mi "Da, molitva je efikasna,

but also beware of the power of circles."

ali također moraš biti svjesna moći koju krugovi imaju."

From her, I learned, amongst many other things,

Između ostalog od nje sam naučila

one very precious lesson --

jednu vrijednu lekciju -

that if you want to destroy something in this life,

ako želiš nešto uništiti u životu,

be it an acne, a blemish

bila to akna, nedostatak,

or the human soul,

ili ljudska duša,

all you need to do is to surround it with thick walls.

sve što trebaš uraditi je da to okružiš zidovima.

It will dry up inside.

Ono će se osušiti unutra.

Now we all live in some kind of a social and cultural circle.

Trenutno svi živimo u društvenim i kulturalnim krugovima u nekom smislu.

We all do.

Svi mi.

We're born into a certain family, nation, class.

Rođeni smo u određenoj porodici, naciji ili klasi.

Ali ako nemamo nikakvog dodira

But if we have no connection whatsoever

sa svijetom izvan našeg, koji uzimamo zdravo za gotovo,

with the worlds beyond the one we take for granted,

then we too run the risk

onda također postoji rizik

of drying up inside.

da ćemo presušiti.

Our imagination might shrink;

Naša imaginacija će se sasušiti,

our hearts might dwindle,

srca će nam splasnuti,

and our humanness might wither

i naša ljudskost može uvenuti,

if we stay for too long

u našim kulturalnim čahurama.

inside our cultural cocoons.

Our friends, neighbors, colleagues, family --

Naši prijatelji, komšije, kolege, porodice -

ako bi svi ti ljudi unutar naših krugova bili slični nama

if all the people in our inner circle resemble us,

it means we are surrounded

to znači da smo okruženi

with our mirror image.

slikom nas samih.

Now one other thing women like my grandma do in Turkey

Još jedna stvar koju žene kao moja nana rade u Turskoj

je prekrivanje ogledala baršunom,

is to cover mirrors with velvet

or to hang them on the walls with their backs facing out.

ili vješanje ogledala na zidove tako da im se vidi poleđina.

It's an old Eastern tradition

To je stara istočna tradicija

based on the knowledge that it's not healthy

zasnovana na vjerovanjima da nije zdravo

for a human being to spend too much time

za čovjeka da provodi previše vremena

staring at his own reflection.

gledajući u svoju refleksiju.

Ironically, [living in] communities of the like-minded

Ironično, društva istomišljenika

is one of the greatest dangers

su jedna od najvećih opasnosti

of today's globalized world.

današnjeg društva.

And it's happening everywhere,

I to se dešava svuda,

among liberals and conservatives,

među liberalim i konzervativnim ljudima,

agnostics and believers, the rich and the poor,

agnosticima i vjernicima, bogatim i siromašnim,

East and West alike.

na Istoku i Zapadu.

We tend to form clusters

Težimo da stvorimo grupe

based on similarity,

zasnovane na sličnostima,

i onda stvaramo stereotipe

and then we produce stereotypes

o drugim grupama ljudi.

about other clusters of people.

In my opinion, one way of transcending

Po mom mišljenu, jedan od načina prevazilaženja

these cultural ghettos

ovih kulturalnih geta

is through the art of storytelling.

je kroz umjetnost pripovjedanja.

Stories cannot demolish frontiers,

Priče ne mogu uništiti granice,

but they can punch holes in our mental walls.

ali mogu probiti rupe u našim mentalnim zidovima.

And through those holes, we can get a glimpse of the other,

I kroz te rupe možemo dobiti uvid u druge,

and sometimes even like what we see.

i ponekad nam se može dopasti ono što vidimo.

I started writing fiction at the age of eight.

Počela sam pisati fikciju kad mi je bilo osam godina.

My mother came home one day with a turquoise notebook

Moja majka se vratila kući jedan dan

noseći tirkiznu svesku

i pitala me da li bih željela da vodim privatni dnevnik.

and asked me if I'd be interested in keeping a personal journal.

In retrospect, I think she was slightly worried

Gledajući iz ovog ugla

mislim da je bila blago zabrinuta

about my sanity.

za moje mentalno zdravlje.

I was constantly telling stories at home, which was good,

Stalno sam kod kuće pričala priče, što je bilo dobro,

except I told this to imaginary friends around me,

osim što sam ih pričala svojim imaginarnim prijateljima,

which was not so good.

što nije bilo tako dobro.

I was an introverted child,

Bila sam introvertno dijete,

to the point of communicating with colored crayons

toliko da sam komunicirala sa bojicama

and apologizing to objects

i izvinjavala se objektima,

when I bumped into them,

kad bi se sudarila s njima,

so my mother thought it might do me good

tako da je moja majka mislila da bi bilo dobro

to write down my day-to-day experiences

da zapisujem svakodnevne doživljaje

and emotions.

i emocije.

What she didn't know was that I thought my life was terribly boring,

Ono što ona nije znala je da sam mislila da je moj život

and the last thing I wanted to do

užasno dosadan

i zadnja stvar koju bih željela da radim

was to write about myself.

je da pišem o sebi.

Instead, I began to write about people other than me

Umjesto toga, počela sam da pišem o drugim ljudima

i stvarima koje se nikada u stvari nisu desile.

and things that never really happened.

And thus began my life-long passion

I tako je započela moja doživotna strast

for writing fiction.

za pisanjem fikcije.

So from the very beginning, fiction for me

Od početka za mene je fikcija

bila manje autobiografska manifestacija

was less of an autobiographical manifestation

nego što je bila transcedentalno putovanje

than a transcendental journey

into other lives, other possibilities.

u druge živote i mogućnosti.

And please bear with me:

Molim vas budite strpljivi:

I'll draw a circle and come back to this point.

sada ću napraviti krug i kasnije ću se vratiti na ovu priču.

Now one other thing happened around this same time.

Druga stvar se desila u ovo vrijeme.

My mother became a diplomat.

Moja majka je postala diplomata.

So from this small, superstitious,

Iz malog, sujevjernog,

middle-class neighborhood of my grandmother,

srednjoklasnog komšiluka,

došla sam

I was zoomed into this

do otmjene internationalne škole u Madridu,

posh, international school [in Madrid],

where I was the only Turk.

gdje sam bila jedina Turkinja.

Tad sam se prvi put susrela

It was here that I had my first encounter

sa onim što nazivam "strancem predstavnikom."

with what I call the "representative foreigner."

In our classroom, there were children from all nationalities,

U našem razredu je bilo djece svih nacionalnosti,

yet this diversity did not necessarily lead

ali ipak ova različitost nije uvijek stvarala

to a cosmopolitan, egalitarian

kozmopolitsku, egalitarnu i demokratsku atmosferu u razredu.

classroom democracy.

Instead, it generated an atmosphere

U biti, stvorilo je atmosferu u kojoj svako dijete

in which each child was seen --

nije bilo posmartano kao individualac

not as an individual on his own,

nego kao predstavnik nečeg većeg.

but as the representative of something larger.

We were like a miniature United Nations, which was fun,

Bili smo kao male Ujedinjene nacije, što je bilo zanimljivo,

except whenever something negative,

sve dok se ne dogodi nešto negativno

with regards to a nation

vezano za državu

or a religion, took place.

ili religiju.

The child who represented it was mocked,

Dijete kao predstavnik bi bilo ismijavano

ridiculed and bullied endlessly.

i zlostavljano do beskraja.

And I should know, because during the time I attended that school,

Znam kako je to, jer tokom vremena koje sam provela u toj školi,

a military takeover happened in my country,

desio se vojni udar u mojoj državi

a gunman of my nationality nearly killed the Pope,

i naoružani napadač moje nacionalnosti je pokušao ubiti Papu,

and Turkey got zero points in [the] Eurovision Song Contest.

i Turska je dobila nula bodova na Evroviziji.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

I skipped school often and dreamed of becoming a sailor

Često nisam išla u školu, i sanjala bih da ću postati mornar

during those days.

u tim danima.

I also had my first taste

Također, tamo sam prvi put iskusila

of cultural stereotypes there.

kulturalne stereotipe.

The other children asked me about the movie

Druga djeca bi me pitala o filmu

"Midnight Express," which I had not seen;

"Ponoćni ekspres", koji nisam ni pogledala.

they inquired how many cigarettes a day I smoked,

Pitali bi me koliko cigareta dnevnom pušim

because they thought all Turks were heavy smokers,

jer su mislili da su svi Turci strastveni pušači,

and they wondered at what age

i zanimalo ih je s koliko godina

I would start covering my hair.

ću početi pokrivati kosu.

I came to learn that these were

Shvatila sam da su

ovo glavna tri stereotipa vezana za moju državu:

the three main stereotypes about my country:

politics, cigarettes

politika, cigarete,

and the veil.

i marama.

After Spain, we went to Jordan, Germany

Poslije Španije, preselili smo u Jordan, pa Njemačku

and Ankara again.

i opet Ankaru.

Everywhere I went, I felt like

Gdje god da sam bila, osjećala sam

my imagination was the only suitcase

da mi je imaginacija jedini kofer

I could take with me.

koji sam mogla ponijeti sa sobom.

Stories gave me a sense of center,

Priče su mi pružile smisao za središte,

continuity and coherence,

stalnost i dosljednost,

the three big Cs that I otherwise lacked.

tri bitne stvari koje inače ne bih imala.

In my mid-twenties, I moved to Istanbul,

Sredinom mojih dvadesetih

the city I adore.

preselila sam se Istanbul

grad koji obožavam.

I lived in a very vibrant, diverse neighborhood

Živjela sam u jako živahnom

i raznolikom naselju

where I wrote several of my novels.

gdje sam napisala neke od svojih romana.

I was in Istanbul when the earthquake hit

Bila sam u Istanbulu

kada se dogodio zemljotres

in 1999.

1999.

When I ran out of the building at three in the morning,

Kada sam istrčala iz zgrade u tri ujutru,

I saw something that stopped me in my tracks.

vidjela sam nešto što me je šokiralo.

Vidjela sam lokalnog prodavca -

There was the local grocer there --

mrzovoljni, stari čovjek koji nije htio prodavati alkohol

a grumpy, old man who didn't sell alcohol

and didn't speak to marginals.

i nije pričao s marginalcima.

He was sitting next to a transvestite

Sada je sjedio sa transvestitom

with a long black wig

sa dugom, crnom perikom

and mascara running down her cheeks.

i maskarom koja se slijevala po obrazima.

I watched the man open a pack of cigarettes

Vidjela sam čovjeka kako otvara kutiju cigara

with trembling hands

dok mu drhte ruke

and offer one to her,

i nudi joj jednu,

and that is the image of the night of the earthquake

i to je slika od noći kada se desio zemljotres

in my mind today --

koju još uvijek imam glavi -

a conservative grocer and a crying transvestite

konzervativni prodavač i rasplakani transvestit

smoking together on the sidewalk.

puše zajedno na pločniku.

In the face of death and destruction,

U trenutku smrti i razaranja

our mundane differences evaporated,

jedna svakodnevna razlika je nestala,

and we all became one

i svi smo postali ujedinjeni

even if for a few hours.

barem na par sati.

But I've always believed that stories, too, have a similar effect on us.

Ali također sam uvijek vjerovala da priče mogu imati sličan utjecaj na nas.

I'm not saying that fiction has the magnitude of an earthquake,

Ne kažem da fikcija ima jačinu zemljotresa

but when we are reading a good novel,

ali kada čitamo dobru novelu,

we leave our small, cozy apartments behind,

ostavljamo mali, skučeni prostor iza nas,

go out into the night alone

izlazimo sami u noć

i upoznajemo ljude kakve do tad nismo znali,

and start getting to know people we had never met before

and perhaps had even been biased against.

i prema kojima smo možda čak i stvarali predrasude.

Shortly after, I went

Nedugo nakon toga otišla sam

to a women's college in Boston, then Michigan.

na ženski koledž u Bostonu, a onda u Mičigen.

I experienced this, not so much as a geographical shift,

Doživjela sam, ne toliko promjenu lokacije

as a linguistic one.

kao lingvističku promjenu.

I started writing fiction in English.

Počela sam pisati fikciju na engleskom.

I'm not an immigrant, refugee or exile --

Nisam imigrant, izbjeglica ili prognanik -

they ask me why I do this --

pitaju me zašto ovo radim -

but the commute between languages

ali smjena jezika

gives me the chance to recreate myself.

mi je omogućila da se ponovo stvorim.

I love writing in Turkish,

Volim pisati na turskom,

which to me is very poetic and very emotional,

koji je za mene jako poetičan i emocionalan,

and I love writing in English, which to me

i volim pisati na engleskom, koji je za mene

is very mathematical and cerebral.

jako proračunat i cerebralan.

So I feel connected to each language in a different way.

Tako da sam osjetila povezanost s oba jezika na različit način.

For me, like millions of other people

Za mene, kao i za milione drugih ljudi

around the world today,

širom svijeta,

English is an acquired language.

engleski je prisvojen jezik.

When you're a latecomer to a language,

Kada ga naučiš u kasnijoj dobi,

what happens is you live there

desi se da živiš

sa stalnom

with a continuous

and perpetual frustration.

frustracijom.

As latecomers, we always want to say more, you know,

Uvijek želimo reći više,

crack better jokes, say better things,

smisliti bolje šale, i reći bolje stvari

ali uvijek kažemo manje

but we end up saying less

zato što imamo rupu u mislima i jeziku.

because there's a gap between the mind and the tongue.

And that gap is very intimidating.

I ta rupa je zastrašujuća.

But if we manage not to be frightened by it,

Ali ako uspijemo da se ne preplašimo,

ona također može djelovati stimulirajuće

it's also stimulating.

To sam otkrila u Bostonu -

And this is what I discovered in Boston --

that frustration was very stimulating.

frustracije su jako stimulirajuće.

At this stage, my grandmother,

U to doba moja nana,

who had been watching the course of my life

koja je promatrala tok mog života,

with increasing anxiety,

sa rastućom anksioznošću,

started to include in her daily prayers

počela je da se dnevno moli

that I urgently get married

da se ubrzo udam

so that I could settle down once and for all.

da bih se smirila jednom za uvijek.

And because God loves her, I did get married.

I zbog toga što je Bog voli, ja sam se udala.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

But instead of settling down,

Ali umjesto da se smirim,

I went to Arizona.

otišla sam u Arizonu.

And since my husband is in Istanbul,

Pošto mi je muž u Istanbulu,

I started commuting between Arizona and Istanbul --

počela sam putovati između Arizone i Istanbula -

the two places on the surface of earth

dva mjesta na zemlji

that couldn't be more different.

koja ne mogu biti više različita.

I guess one part of me has always been a nomad,

Pretpostavljam da sam dijelom uvijek bila nomad,

physically and spiritually.

fizički i spiritualno.

Stories accompany me,

Priče mi prave društvo,

keeping my pieces and memories together,

drže dijelove i sjećanja zajedno

like an existential glue.

poput egzistencijalnog ljepila.

Yet as much as I love stories,

Ipak koliko god voljela priče,

recently, I've also begun to think

u skorije vrijeme sam počela razmišljati

kako gube svoju magiju

that they lose their magic

ako se na priče počne gledati kao na nešto više nego priče.

if and when a story is seen as more than a story.

And this is a subject that I would love

I voljela bih da svi

to think about together.

razmislimo o ovome.

When my first novel written in English came out in America,

Kada je moj prvi roman na engleskom izašla u Americi,

dobila sam zanimljivu primjedbu od jednog književnog kritičara.

I heard an interesting remark from a literary critic.

rekao je

"I liked your book," he said, "but I wish you had written it differently."

"Sviđa mi se tvoja knjiga, ali bih volio da si je napisala drugačije."

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

I asked him what he meant by that.

Pitala sam ga kako to misli.

He said, "Well, look at it. There's so many

Rekao je "Pa vidi, toliko je

Španaca, Amerikanaca, Latino Amerikanaca u knjizi,

Spanish, American, Hispanic characters in it,

but there's only one Turkish character and it's a man."

a samo jedan lik iz Turske

i on je muškarac."

Now the novel took place on a university campus in Boston,

Radnja romana se dešava

na kampusu u Bostonu,

so to me, it was normal

tako da mi je bilo normalno

that there be more international characters in it

da će biti više internacionalnih likova

than Turkish characters,

nego Turaka,

but I understood what my critic was looking for.

ali sam razumjela šta je mislio sa kritikom.

And I also understood that I

I razumjela sam da ću ga opet razočarati.

would keep disappointing him.

He wanted to see the manifestation of my identity.

On je želio da vidi ispoljavanje mog identiteta.

He was looking for a Turkish woman in the book

Htio je da vidi Turkinju u knjizi,

because I happened to be one.

kao što sam ja.

We often talk about how stories change the world,

Često kažemo kako priče mogu promijeniti svijet,

but we should also see how the world of identity politics

ali isto tako trebamo da vidimo kako svijet politike identiteta

affects the way stories

utječe na način na koji priče

are being circulated,

kruže,

read and reviewed.

čitaju se i recenziraju.

Many authors feel this pressure,

Puno pisaca osjeća pritisak,

but non-Western authors feel it more heavily.

ali nezapadnjački pisci to osjete više.

If you're a woman writer from the Muslim world, like me,

Ako ste književnica

iz muslimanskog svijeta kao ja,

then you are expected to write

od vas se očekuje da pišete

the stories of Muslim women

priče o muslimanskim ženama,

and, preferably, the unhappy stories

i po mogućnosti, da to budu nesretne priče

of unhappy Muslim women.

o nesretnim muslimankama.

You're expected to write

Očekuje se da pišete

informativne, dirljive

informative, poignant and characteristic stories

i karakteristične priče

and leave the experimental and avant-garde

i ostavite eksperimentalne i avangardne

to your Western colleagues.

vašim kolegama sa Zapada.

What I experienced as a child in that school in Madrid

Ono što sam iskusila u školi u Madridu,

is happening in the literary world today.

sada se dešava u književnosti.

Writers are not seen

Pisci više ne predstavljaju

as creative individuals on their own,

kreativne individualce,

but as the representatives

nego ih se posmatra kao predstavnike

of their respective cultures:

svojih kultura:

a few authors from China, a few from Turkey,

nekoliko pisaca iz Kine, Turske,

Nigerije.

a few from Nigeria.

We're all thought to have something very distinctive,

Svi misle da mi imamo nešto različito,

if not peculiar.

ako ne i čudno.

The writer and commuter James Baldwin

Pisac i putnik, James Baldwin,

gave an interview in 1984

dao je intervju u 1984,

in which he was repeatedly asked about his homosexuality.

u kojem je više puta pitan o svojoj homoseksualnosti.

When the interviewer tried to pigeonhole him

Kada ga je novinar pokušao smjestiti u koš

as a gay writer,

sa drugim gay piscima

Baldwin stopped and said,

Baldwin je odgovorio:

"But don't you see? There's nothing in me

"Zar ne vidiš da u meni nema

that is not in everybody else,

ništa drugačije nego u drugima,

and nothing in everybody else

i ništa u drugima što nema u meni."

that is not in me."

Kada politički identitet pokuša da nas etiketira,

When identity politics tries to put labels on us,

it is our freedom of imagination that is in danger.

naša sloboda imaginacije je u opasnosti.

There's a fuzzy category called

Postoji jedna nejasna kategorija

multicultural literature

zvana multikulturala kniževnost

in which all authors from outside the Western world

u kojoj svi pisci izvan Zapada

are lumped together.

ubačeni zajedno.

Nikad neću zaboraviti moje prvo iskustvo

I never forget my first multicultural reading,

sa čitanjem multikulturalne književnosti

in Harvard Square about 10 years ago.

na Harvard trgu pije desetak godina.

We were three writers, one from the Philippines,

Bilo nas je troje, pisci sa Filipina,

one Turkish and one Indonesian --

Turske i Indonezije -

like a joke, you know.

kao u vicu, znate.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

And the reason why we were brought together

I razlog što su nas svrstali zajedno

was not because we shared an artistic style

nije zato što smo dijelili umjetnički stil

or a literary taste.

ili ukus u književnosti.

It was only because of our passports.

To su uradili samo zbog naših pasoša.

Multicultural writers are expected to tell real stories,

Očekuje se da multikulturalni pisci

pričaju istinite priče

not so much the imaginary.

i da ne koriste previše imaginacije.

A function is attributed to fiction.

Fikciji je dodijeljena funkcija.

In this way, not only the writers themselves,

Na ovaj način

ne samo pisci

but also their fictional characters

nego i njihovi likovi,

become the representatives of something larger.

postaju reprezentativci nečeg većeg.

But I must quickly add

I moram brzo da dodam

that this tendency to see a story

da ova tendencija da se priča sagleda

as more than a story

kao više nego priča

does not solely come from the West.

nije prisutna samo na Zapadu.

It comes from everywhere.

Prisutna je svugdje.

And I experienced this firsthand

Ovo sam osjetila iz prve ruke

kada sam bila na suđenju 2005.

when I was put on trial in 2005

zbog riječi koje je lik iz mog romana rekao.

for the words my fictional characters uttered in a novel.

Željela sam da napišem

I had intended to write

a constructive, multi-layered novel

konstruktivni, višeslojni roman

about an Armenian and a Turkish family

o armenskoj i turskoj porodici

through the eyes of women.

kroz oči žena.

My micro story became a macro issue

Moja mala priča je postala veliki problem

when I was prosecuted.

kada sam optužena.

Some people criticized, others praised me

Neki su me kritikovali, drugi hvalili

for writing about the Turkish-Armenian conflict.

zbog toga što sam pisala o tursko-armenskom sukobu.

But there were times when I wanted to remind both sides

Ali htjela sam podsjetiti obje strane

that this was fiction.

da je ovo samo fikcija.

It was just a story.

To je bila samo priča.

And when I say, "just a story,"

Kada kažem "samo priča"

I'm not trying to belittle my work.

ne želim da obezvrijedim svoj rad.

I want to love and celebrate fiction

Želim da volim i slavim fikciju

for what it is,

zbog onoga što ona jeste,

not as a means to an end.

a ne kao sredstvo za neki cilj.

Writers are entitled to their political opinions,

Pisci imaju pravo na svoje političke stavove,

and there are good political novels out there,

i ima jako puno dobrih političkih romana,

but the language of fiction

ali jezik fikcije

is not the language of daily politics.

nije isti kao jezik svakodnevne politike.

Chekhov said,

Chekhov je rekao:

"The solution to a problem

"Rješenje za problem

and the correct way of posing the question

i ispravan način postavljanja pitanja

are two completely separate things.

su dvije potpuno različite stvari.

And only the latter is an artist's responsibility."

I umjetnikova dužnost je samo ova druga."

Identity politics divides us. Fiction connects.

Politički identitet na razdvaja. Fikcija spaja.

One is interested in sweeping generalizations.

Jednu interesuju generalizacije,

The other, in nuances.

drugu nijanse.

One draws boundaries.

Jedna pravi zidove.

The other recognizes no frontiers.

Druga ne poznaje granice.

Identity politics is made of solid bricks.

Politički identitet je napravljen od čvrstih cigli.

Fiction is flowing water.

Fikcija je tekuća voda.

U vijeme Osmanlija, postojali su putnici pripovjedači zvani "meddah."

In the Ottoman times, there were itinerant storytellers called "meddah."

They would go to coffee houses,

Išli bi u kafane,

where they would tell a story in front of an audience,

gdje bi pričali priče pred publikom,

often improvising.

često imporovizirajući.

With each new person in the story,

Za svaku osobu u priči,

the meddah would change his voice,

meddah bi promjenio svoj glas,

impersonating that character.

oponašajući tog lika.

Everybody could go and listen, you know --

Svi bi mogli ići i slušati -

obični ljudi, ili čak sultani, muslimani i nemuslimani.

ordinary people, even the sultan, Muslims and non-Muslims.

Stories cut across all boundaries,

Priče prodiru kroz sve granice,

like "The Tales of Nasreddin Hodja,"

kao priče o Nasretin Hodži,

which were very popular throughout the Middle East,

koje su bile jako popularne na Srednjem istoku,

North Africa, the Balkans and Asia.

Sjevernoj Africi, Balkanu i Aziji.

Today, stories continue

U današnje vrijeme, priče

to transcend borders.

i dalje prevazilaze granice.

When Palestinian and Israeli politicians talk,

Kada palestinski i izraelski poilitičari govore,

obično ni ne slušaju jedni druge,

they usually don't listen to each other,

ali Palestinci

but a Palestinian reader

još uvijek čitaju romane izraelskih autora,

still reads a novel by a Jewish author,

and vice versa, connecting and empathizing

i obrnuto, spajajući i suosjećajući

with the narrator.

sa naratorom.

Literature has to take us beyond.

Književnost nas uzdiže.

If it cannot take us there,

Ako to ne uspijeva,

it is not good literature.

onda to nije dobra književnost.

Books have saved the introverted,

Knjige su spasile introvertno,

timid child that I was -- that I once was.

stidljivo djete koje sam ja nekad bila.

But I'm also aware of the danger

Ali sam također svjesna opasnosti

of fetishizing them.

stvaranja fetiša prema knjigama.

When the poet and mystic, Rumi,

Kada je Rumi, pisac i mistik,

met his spiritual companion, Shams of Tabriz,

upoznao svog duhovnog prijatelja, Šemsa iz Tabriza,

one of the first things the latter did

jedna stvar koju je kasnije uradio,

was to toss Rumi's books into water

bacio je Rumijeve knjige u vodu

and watch the letters dissolve.

i gledao kako se slova rastapaju.

The Sufis say, "Knowledge that takes you not beyond yourself

Sufije kažu: "Znanje koje vas ne uzdiže

is far worse than ignorance."

je gore nego neznanje."

Problem s današnjim kulturalnim getima

The problem with today's cultural ghettos

is not lack of knowledge --

nije manjak znanja -

mi znamo puno jedni o drugima, ili tako mislimo -

we know a lot about each other, or so we think --

but knowledge that takes us not beyond ourselves:

ali znanje koje nas ne uzdiže

it makes us elitist,

stvara od nas elitiste,

distant and disconnected.

distancirane i isključene.

There's a metaphor which I love:

Volim ovu metaforu:

living like a drawing compass.

živjeti poput šestara.

As you know, one leg of the compass is static, rooted in a place.

Kao što znate, jedna strana šestara je statična, ukorjenjena u mjestu,

Meanwhile, the other leg

dok druga strana

draws a wide circle, constantly moving.

pravi krug, stalno se pomjerajući.

Like that, my fiction as well.

Isto kao moja fikcija.

One part of it is rooted in Istanbul,

Jedna strana je ukorjenjena u Istanbulu,

with strong Turkish roots,

sa snažnim turskim korjenima,

but the other part travels the world,

ali druga strana putuje svjetom,

connecting to different cultures.

spaja se s drugim kulturama.

In that sense, I like to think of my fiction

U tom smislu, volim misliti o svojoj fikciji

as both local and universal,

kao lokalnoj i univerzanloj,

both from here and everywhere.

kao odavde i bilo gjde drugo.

Now those of you who have been to Istanbul

Vi koji ste bili u Istanbulu

have probably seen Topkapi Palace,

vjerovatno ste vidjeli Topkapi Saraj,

which was the residence of Ottoman sultans

u kojoj su živjeli osmanski sultani

for more than 400 years.

preko 400 godina.

In the palace, just outside the quarters

U toj palači, odmah uz prostorije

of the favorite concubines,

njihovih najdražih konkubina,

there's an area called The Gathering Place of the Djinn.

postoji mjesto zvano Mjesto gdje se sastaju Džini.

Ono je između građevina.

It's between buildings.

Intrigirana sam ovim konceptom.

I'm intrigued by this concept.

Obično ne vjerujemo ovim mjestima

We usually distrust those areas

that fall in between things.

koja se nalaze među drugim stvarima.

We see them as the domain

Smatramo ih područjima

gdje se nalaze nadnaravna bića kao što su džini.

of supernatural creatures like the djinn,

who are made of smokeless fire

Oni se sastoje od vatre bez dima,

and are the symbol of elusiveness.

i simbol su nedokučivosti.

But my point is perhaps

Ali moja poenta je

that elusive space

da nedokučivo mjesto

is what writers and artists need most.

je ono što pisci i umjetnici najviše trebaju.

When I write fiction

Kada pišem fikciju

ja gajim nedokučivost i promjenljivost.

I cherish elusiveness and changeability.

I like not knowing what will happen 10 pages later.

Volim da ne znam šta će se desiti nakon deset stranica.

I like it when my characters surprise me.

Volim kada me moji likovi iznenade.

I might write about

Možda ću da pišem

a Muslim woman in one novel,

u jednom romanu o ženi muslimanki,

and perhaps it will be a very happy story,

i to će vjerovatno biti sretna priča,

and in my next book, I might write

i u sljedećoj knjizi možda ću pisati

about a handsome, gay professor in Norway.

o zgodnom gay profesoru u Norveškoj.

Dok god dolazi od srca,

As long as it comes from our hearts,

možemo da pišemo o bilo čemu.

we can write about anything and everything.

Audre Lorde once said,

Audre Lorde je jednom rekla:

"The white fathers taught us to say,

"Bijeli očevi su nas naučili da kažemo,

'Mislim, dakle postojim.'"

'I think, therefore I am.'"

Ona dodaje: "Osjećam, dakle slobodna sam."

She suggested, "I feel, therefore I am free."

I think it was a wonderful paradigm shift.

Mislim da je ovo divna promjena paradigme.

And yet, why is it that,

I ipak, zašto

u današnje vrijeme na kursevima kreativnog pisanja

in creative writing courses today,

the very first thing we teach students is

prva stvar koju nas nauče je

"write what you know"?

"pišite o onome što znate"?

Perhaps that's not the right way to start at all.

To nije dobar način da se počne.

Imaginative literature is not necessarily about

Književnost nije obavezno

writing who we are or what we know

pisanje o nama ili onome što znamo

or what our identity is about.

ili predstavljanje našeg dentiteta.

We should teach young people and ourselves

Trebamo učiti mlade ljude da i nas same

to expand our hearts

da proširujemo naša srca

i pišemo o onome kako se osjećamo.

and write what we can feel.

We should get out of our cultural ghetto

Trebamo izaći iz svog kulturalnog geta

and go visit the next one and the next.

i posjetiti druga.

In the end, stories move like whirling dervishes,

Na kraju, priče su kao derviši koji plešu,

drawing circles beyond circles.

prave krugove izvan krugova.

They connect all humanity,

Oni spajaju humanost,

bez obzira na politički identitet,

regardless of identity politics,

i to je dobra stvar.

and that is the good news.

Željela bih da završim sa starom sufijskom pjesmom:

And I would like to finish with an old Sufi poem:

"Come, let us be friends for once;

"Dođi, budimo prijatelji na trenutak

let us make life easy on us;

olakšajmo živote jedni drugom

let us be lovers and loved ones;

budimo ljubavnici i voljeni

the earth shall be left to no one."

zemlja neće ostati nikome."

Thank you.

Hvala vam.

(Applause)

(Aplauz)